Lakers Run Right Over Suns 114-102
11.17.12

Kobe Bryant fights to get shot up against Phoenix.
The By The Numbers recap for the Lakers’ 114-102 win over the Phoenix Suns at Staples Center on Friday night. The Lakers are now 4-5, and next play home to Houston on Sunday night.
131
The number of times the Lakers have beaten the Phoenix Suns all-time in the regular season. The two teams have played each other 222 times counting Friday. The Lakers have a +.500 regular season winning percentage against every team in the NBA except for the Boston Celtics and amazingly…the Charlotte Bobcats.
114
The amount of points the Lakers scored Friday, their most this season. And they did it while playing a much more up tempo offense which is the hallmark of a Mike D’Antoni-coached team.
92
Kobe Bryant’s free throw percentage through the first nine games. After hitting 10-11 on Friday, he’s now made 56 of his first 61 to start the season. Oh by the way, he’s also shooting 53.1% from the field.
52
The amount of points Metta World Peace has scored in his last three games, including 22 against Phoenix on Friday. He’s also made 11 of his last 26 three-pointers, as his shooting is definitely improving. Good to see.
48
The number of rebounds the Lakers grabbed on Friday, as they continue to dominate their opponents in that category this year. They’re averaging over 47 rebounds a night, nearly 15 at the offensive end. They had 17 offensive boards Friday.
25
Number of assists the Lakers had on Friday, which certainly is a big part of the reason they scored 114 points. Kobe and Darius Morris had 6 apiece to lead the team.
12
The number of turnovers the Lakers had Friday, which was a season-low. Think about the fact that they were playing a more up tempo style, but actually turned the ball over less. That’s a good sign right there.
7
The amount of foul shots Phoenix made on Friday. They actually only attempted 15, which isn’t surprising considering they don’t have a lot of guys that drive to the basket, and they do rely on the outside shot so much. But still interesting. Kobe by himself made 10.
That’s all for tonight, see you Sunday.
Lakers Updated Injury Report for 11.14.13
11.14.12
Steve Nash (Out)
Nash (leg) will not play Friday against the Suns and only has a small chance to play Sunday against the Rockets, according to the LA Times.
Steve Blake (Day-To-Day)
Blake (abdominal strain) is uncertain of when he’ll return to action, according to the LA Daily News.
Jordan Hill (Day-To-Day)
Hill sprained his right wrist in Tuesday’s loss to the Spurs, but is probable for Friday’s game, according to Lakers.com.
Lakers Blow Lead in Final Minute to Spurs
11.13.12

Dwight Howard dunks amongst three Spurs on Tuesday.
The By The Numbers recap for the Lakers’ 84-82 loss to the San Antonio Spurs at Staples Center on Tuesday night. The Lakers are now 3-5, and next play home to Phoenix on Friday night.
503
The Lakers regular season winning percentage against the Spurs after Tuesday night’s loss. They’re now 74-73 all-time against San Antonio, but 34-18 against them in the playoffs.
98
The number of missed shots the two teams had combined Tuesday, in what was a very ugly offensive game. The Lakers shot just 41.9% from the field and the Spurs an even worse 38.9%.
69
The Lakers free throw percentage as a team after eight games…not good. They were awful on Tuesday again, hitting just 14-22 (63.6%). Those things matter in close games.
55
Kobe Bryant’s field goal percentage this season after eight games. He hit 12-19 shots on Tuesday against the Spurs for 28 points. He’s also hitting 92% of his foul shots and 44.1% from the three-point line. Basically he’s on fire.
33
The age Metta World Peace turned today. He scored 12 points on his birthday, but missed a wide-open three near the end of the game that would have sealed the win for the Lakers.
33
The amount of rebounds Dwight Howard has grabbed combined the last two games. He had 18 against Sacramento on Sunday and 15 more on Tuesday against San Antonio.
18
The amount of points the Lakers bench scored Tuesday. Nobody shot a particularly horrible percentage, they just didn’t get up a lot of shots. Jordan Hill looked good again with eight points and six rebounds, and lots of great hustle.
8
The number of turnovers the Spurs committed Tuesday. Want to know how to stay in a game you’re shooting under 40% in? Well here’s one way, don’t turn the ball over. Conversely the Lakers turned it over 17 more times Tuesday.
Looking for a bounce-back on Friday against Phoenix, see you then.
ESPN: Lakers Hire D’Antoni!
11.12.12

The Lakers hire Mike D’Antoni as their new head coach.
In an unexpected twist, ESPNLA.com is reporting the Lakers have hired Mike D’Antoni, not Phil Jackson, to be their next head coach.
From all accounts Phil was just “asking for the moon” and the Lakers were unable to come to an agreement with him.
For the complete story, check it out at ESPNLA.com.
http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/story/_/id/8622773/mike-dantoni-hired-next-coach-los-angeles-lakers-sources-say
Lakers Breeze By Kings For Second Straight Win
11.11.12

Dwight Howard grabs a rebound against Kings.
The By The Numbers recap for the Lakers’ 103-90 win over the Sacramento Kings at Staples Center on Sunday night. The Lakers are now 3-4, and next play home to San Antonio on Tuesday night.
18,997
The number of free tacos Jack in the Box will have to give out after the Lakers held yet another opponent under 100 points on Sunday in the win.
143
The number of rebounds Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard have grabbed combined this season. Just looked like a nice number to mention. That is of course over 10 per game, and is sure to improve as Howard gets his legs back. He had his Laker career-high with 18 boards Sunday.
102
To keep in the rebounding mode, the number offensive rebounds the Lakers have grabbed this year through the first seven games. That’s nearly 15 a night…impressive. Jordan Hill grabs 3.5 off the bench alone.
79
The combined number of points the Lakers starting five scored minus Steve Blake scored. Even more impressive was they shot 27-54 (50%) from the floor as well. Dwight Howard led all scorers with 23 points, to go along with his 18 rebounds and three blocks.
60
The percentage of shots the Kings missed on Sunday, hitting only 36-90 from the floor, including a miserable 1-10 from Marcus Thornton. Laker opponents are shooting just 42.4% from the field for the season.
34
The number of minutes it took Jason Thompson to foul out against Dwight Howard. I know that’s a lot minutes, but so what, it’s a fun stat to mention.
22
In one of the poorer stats of the night, the amount of points the Lakers bench scored. They struggled again except for Jordan Hill and Darius Morris, who continue to lead the reserves with solid play. Antawn Jamison had another tough night…no points and only two shot attempts.
11
The number of minutes it took the Kings’ Jimmer Fredette to score 18 points…wow! He went 7-9 from the floor, 3-5 from beyond the arc, and 1-1 from the line. Pretty impressive stat line.
2
The Lakers current winning streak. Hey it’s better than a two-game losing streak.
More numbers after San Antonio on Tuesday!
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